Over the past seven seasons, the Houston Astros have become a fixture in the postseason. With six postseason appearances, including three World Series berths over that span, the Astros are truly in their golden age of existence. While Houston is better now than ever before as a team, the franchise has had iconic individuals in uniform since its’ first year in 1962. From stars of today to legends of yesterday, here is the Astros all-time team.
Catcher – Brad Ausmus
The Astros do not have a long history of great offensive catchers. However, they do have plenty of defensive specialists who have made an impact. Brad Ausmus is arguably the best of the group. Ausmus played ten years with the team, ranking tenth in franchise history in games played, with 1,259. He also won three Gold Gloves with the team. Over his time with the Astros, Ausmus had an underwhelming slashline of .246/.318/.327. However, his biggest moment was with the bat. With two outs in the ninth inning of Game Four of the 2005 NLDS, the veteran catcher blasted a game-tying home run. Houston would go on to win the game in 18 innings. At the time, it was arguably the biggest home run in franchise history.
First Base – Jeff Bagwell
With some positions, it can be very hard to determine the best in franchise history. However, first base on the Astros all-time team is a no-brainer. Jeff Bagwell is the best first-baseman in franchise history and one of the two best players in the history of the franchise. Bagwell is first or second in nearly every offensive statistic in Astros history. His career slashline of .297/.408/.540 is the most impressive in franchise history for someone who played as long as he did. Three Silver Sluggers, a Gold Glove, a Rookie of the Year, and a MVP over his 15 year career cemented his spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Second Base – Craig Biggio
If Bagwell is one of the two best players in franchise history, the other is Craig Biggio. Biggio is first in franchise history in games played, at-bats, plate appearances, runs scored, hits, total bases, doubles, extra base hits, and times on base, among other stats. Biggio won five Silver Sluggers and four Gold Gloves. A member of the 3,000 hit club, Biggio has also taken his place in Cooperstown as one of the legends of the game.
Shortstop – Carlos Correa
The left side of the infield isn’t quite as strong as the right, but the talent is still up there. Despite only having seven seasons as an Astro under his belt, Carlos Correa has left his mark on the franchise. In the regular season, Correa has won a Gold Glove and a Platinum Glove as well as a Rookie of the Year award. However, it is the postseason where Correa made his name. The shortstop was one of the pillars of the 2017 World Series championship team. He is also one of two players in MLB postseason history to have three walk-off hits in his career. Correa’s 59 postseason RBI rank sixth all time. Whether or not Correa is in an Astros uniform in 2022 remains to be determined, however, he will remain a legendary figure in Astros franchise history.
Third Base – Alex Bregman
Although injuries have slowed him down over the past couple seasons, Alex Bregman has been a force over his six-year career. Bregman has won a Silver Slugger, an All-Star Game MVP, and a runner-up finish for the AL MVP. His career slashline is .281/.377/.507. He was another of the pillars of the 2017 World Series championship team. His World Series run included a walk-off hit in Game Five of the 2017 World Series.
Left Field – Lance Berkman
While Lance Berkman never won any major awards, he was an impact player. Berkman had five top-ten MVP finishes in his 12 years with the Astros. He ranks in the top-five in nearly every offensive statistic in franchise history. His slashline over his Astros career is .296/.410/.549. He was a key member of their postseason runs in 2004 and 2005. He is arguably one of the best players to not receive the required five percent to stay on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. He is however, quite worthy of being on the Astros all-time team.
Center Field – Cesar Cedeno
A staple of the Astros in the 1970’s, Cesar Cedeno is the greatest speed threat in Astros history. His 487 stolen bases in an Astros uniform rank first in franchise history. Over 12 years in Houston, Cedeno played in 1,512 games, the sixth most among Astros players. He won five Gold Gloves, all in center field. His five fielding awards are tied for the most in franchise history.
Right Field – George Springer
While George Springer moved on from the Astros in free agency before the 2021 season, he is one of the most important players who have ever put on an Astros jersey. Springer was another one of the core members of the 2017 team that won the World Series. He is also the one that was most responsible for bringing the trophy home. His five home runs helped Houston win the 2017 World Series and led to him being named World Series MVP. Overall, in 14 career World Series games, Springer has seven homers.
Designated Hitter – Jose Altuve
The Astros have only been in the American League since 2013, so DH options are limited. With that being said, Jose Altuve deserves to be on the Astros all-time team with the career he has had thus far. Therefore, the DH spot will go to this Astros legend. Altuve has won five Silver Sluggers, a Gold Glove, three Batting Titles, an MVP, an ALCS MVP, and of course a World Series Championship. With a .308 career batting average, Altuve is one of the best pure hitters of the past generation. His 23 career postseason home runs rank second in the history of the league. As long as health remains in his favor, there is a large possibility that Altuve ends up in Cooperstown as well.
Pitchers
The Astros have had a lot of great pitchers toe the rubber throughout their existence. Some have spent the better part of a decade on the mound while others had shorter but very impactful stints with the team. Nolan Ryan spent nine years in Houston, where he won 106 games and posted a 3.13 ERA across over 1,800 innings pitched. Ryan had three top-ten Cy Young finishes, but did not win one.
Second in wins in franchise history with 143, Roy Oswalt is one of the greatest pitchers to play in Houston. Across ten years and over 1,900 innings, Oswalt had a 3.24 ERA. He had six top-ten Cy Young finishes, but never won one. However, he did win the ALCS MVP award in 2005. Despite only pitching parts of four seasons with the team thus far, Justin Verlander is worthy of being on this list. Verlander was acquired in 2017 and won the ALCS MVP that year. Houston went on to win the World Series in large part because of Verlander. He also has won a Cy Young and has been a runner-up for the award.
Billy Wagner played for the Astros over the first nine years of his career, pitching to a 2.53 ERA and saving 225 ball games. He struck out batters at a rate of 12.4 per nine innings which is highest in team history. His 1.039 WHIP is the lowest in team history. Wagner would definitely be the closer on the Astros all-time team.
Honorable Mentions
J.R. Richard won 107 games over a decade long career. He had a 3.15 ERA in over 1,600 innings before a stroke cut his career short. With three top-ten Cy Young finishes, Richard had a great career albeit a short one. Roger Clemens only played three years with the Astros, but he won a Cy Young and was a key member of the postseason teams in 2004 and 2005. He had a 2.40 ERA in those three seasons.
Jim Wynn was an important outfielder for Houston in the 1960’s and 70’s. His 223 homers with the team were the franchise record until 1999. Jose Cruz played 1,870 games in his career with Houston. He held many team records before eventually being surpassed. The outfielder had three top-ten MVP finishes over 13 years with the Astros.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Brad Ausmus, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, Lance Berkman, Cesar Cedeno, George Springer, Jose Altuve, Nolan Ryan, Roy Oswalt, Justin Verlander, Billy Wagner, J.R. Richard, Roger Clemens, Jim Wynn, Jose Cruz
